Las Vegas, NV (June 11, 2023)—After a successful inaugural event in 2022, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX, this year’s The IX Awards will again recognize outstanding people who have been instrumental in the fight for equality in sports and beyond. The 2023 celebration of the spirit of Title IX is being hosted by the Las Vegas Aces. The Las Vegas Raiders and the Silk Family are signature sponsors for The IXs.
Held Tuesday, June 13, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, The IXs will honor Jackie Joyner-Kersee with the Icon Award, Jessica Mendoza with the Game Changer Award, Wyomia Tyus with the Legacy Award, Elaine Wynn with the Impact Award and Annick Haczkiewicz with the Next Gen Award.
Emceed by Chris Spencer, an acclaimed comedian, actor, writer, producer and director; the IXs will feature performances by Judith Hill and Broadway in the Hill.
The evening begins with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and The IX Awards presentations. The event will conclude with a 30-minute fireside chat with Tyus moderated by ESPN and Las Vegas Aces television play-by-play announcer Carolyn Peck.
Among the night’s attendees will be members of the 2022 WNBA Champion Aces Chelsea Gray and A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Raiders and Aces owner Mark Davis, Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, Raiders President Sandra Douglass Morgan and 1968 U.S. Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith.
Highlights from the 2022 The IXs celebration included a fireside chat with Billie Jean King, who was recognized with the Legacy Award; members of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team, who collectively earned the Game Changer Award; and former mayor of Las Vegas Jan Jones Blackhurst was presented with the Impact Award.
Wyomia Tyus: Legacy
Three-time Olympic gold medalist and the first person to win back-to-back Olympic golds in the 100 meters, Tyus will be presented with The IXs Legacy Award by Mark Davis. Tyus embodies the tenets of the award, having transformed women’s sports, led by example and relentlessly paved the way for equality. A native of Griffin, Georgia, in the Jim Crow South, Tyus supported the Olympic Human Rights Project in 1968 by wearing dark running shorts instead of the U.S.-issued white shorts days before John Carlos and Tommie Smith were sent home from Mexico City for raising their fists on the medal stand.
In addition to winning 100-meter gold medals in 1964 and 1968, a feat since matched by only five Olympians, Tyus also claimed gold as a member of the 4×100 relay in 1968 and silver in the same event in 1964. A founding member of the Women’s Sports Foundation, Tyus was inducted into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame, the National Track and Field Hall of Fame and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee: Icon
Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who won three Olympic gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals over a span of four Olympic Games, is being presented with The IXs Icon Award by A’ja Wilson. A specialist in the long jump and heptathlon, Joyner-Kersee’s gold medal winning heptathlon finish of 7,291 points in the 1988 Olympics still stands as the world and Olympic record 35 years later. Sports Illustrated named her the Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th Century, and this iconic athlete is an inductee into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame, USA Track and Field Hall of Fame and the International Sports Hall of Fame. Joyner-Kersee attended UCLA, where she competed in basketball and track and field. She earned the 1986 James E. Sullivan Award, the 1985 Honda-Broderick Cup and the 2010 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award.
Elaine Wynn: Impact
The IXs Impact Award will be presented to Elaine Wynn, a legendary business leader, philanthropist and crusader for children’s welfare through education. The award was created to honor a Las Vegas woman who has strengthened our community by positively influencing the lives of our young girls and boys. Wynn is a tireless advocate of programs and services for children who live in poverty. For nearly two decades, she has been actively engaged with Communities in Schools. With a mission to surround students with a community of support, CIS positively impacts 1.7 million children in more than 2,900 schools in 26 states, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
Jessica Mendoza: Game Changer
Jessica Mendoza, who will be presented with her award by Chelsea Gray, is a two-time Olympic medalist in softball, winning gold in 2004 and silver in 2008. Mendoza is the embodiment of The IXs Game Changer Award, which recognizes a woman who has transformed women’s sports, broken the glass ceiling and inspired generations to follow. Following her outstanding playing career, which included All-America honors as a member of the Stanford softball team, Mendoza turned to broadcasting. While working for ESPN in 2015, Mendoza became the network’s first female MLB color commentator and analyst. Later that year she became the first female commentator in MLB postseason TV history. In 2020, she conquered another first as ESPN’s first female World Series analyst, and was part of NBC’s broadcast team for the 2020 Olympics.
Annick Haczkiewicz: Next Gen
The IXs Next Gen Award recognizes a Title IX beneficiary who displays outstanding character and serves as a role model for the next generation of leaders. Annick Haczkiewicz will be presented with her award by Maxx Crosby. Haczkiewicz, who won a Nevada state golf championship while playing for Palo Verde High School in Las Vegas, was a three-time captain of the BYU golf team. While at BYU Haczkiewicz interned in the athletics department and worked with the social media and sports information departments, where she contributed to, among other projects, Title IX initiatives. Following her 2022 graduation, she spent six months as a marketing communications coordinator for a Los Angeles-based agency before returning to Salt Lake City as a premium experience account manager for the Utah Jazz.
About Title IX.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) prohibits sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity) discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.